BCA’s turning into minister’s fiefdom continues unabated

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is continuing to be transformed into what officials describe as a refuge for Planning Minister Jonathan Attard’s political associates and canvassers, with another politically connected official now being ‘parked’ at the Authority despite uncertainty over what role he is expected to perform.

The latest addition is Ronnie Vella, a former aide to the disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat, who was recently removed from the Planning Authority at the direct instructions of the Office of the Prime Minister. Multiple sources told The Shift that Vella has now been absorbed into the Authority following Minister Attard’s intervention.

Vella made headlines for being part of a security team that locked up journalists in Castille, and also for passing on information of interest to disgraced former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.

Vella is now expected to form part of a team dealing with permits issued by the BCA. However, officials familiar with the Authority’s operations said they remain unclear why another senior appointment was considered necessary.

Vella’s transfer is the latest in a growing list of politically connected appointments made at the Authority since Attard assumed political responsibility for the beleaguered agency.

At the same time, fresh questions have emerged over the conduct of Matthew Zammit, better known as ‘Il-Funk’, a former Lands Authority official who was given a job at the BCA on a lucrative package despite his controversial past.

Sources told The Shift that Zammit recently crashed a BCA vehicle which, according to officials, he was not entitled to use. Following the accident, the vehicle was withdrawn from his possession.

The latest incident follows further concerns over Zammit’s disappearance from his office during the recent general elections campaign.

Multiple sources said that throughout the elections campaign, Zammit did not report for work at the BCA and instead spent his time working from the Labour Party headquarters in Ħamrun. It is still unknown who authorised his prolonged paid absence while he remained on the public payroll.

Zammit was previously the subject of an investigation by The Shift after he was recruited by the BCA on a package approaching €60,000 despite having been sacked from the Lands Authority following allegations of abuse involving public tenders and government property.

Officials also pointed to Zammit’s close relationship with lawyer Joe Gerada, a long-time political associate of Minister Attard who is frequently seen accompanying the minister despite holding no government position.

Gerada is regarded by officials as one of the minister’s closest advisers and an influential figure behind many of the decisions taken within the ministry.

Before Attard entered Cabinet, both he and Gerada worked together in the secretariat of former minister Chris Cardona. Gerada is also well known for his close association with Cardona outside government. He was alleged to have accompanied Cardona to the infamous ‘Acapulco’ brothel in Germany, reported by murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. He denies the allegation.

The BCA has also become home to several other politically connected individuals.

Among them is Mark Barbara from Birkirkara, formerly Cardona’s driver, who is employed by the Authority as a person of trust. He has lately become a canvassar for Labour MP Ramona Attard, a former colleague of the minister at his private legal office.

Another is Deborah Felice, one of Minister Attard’s long-time canvassers and head of customer care, who earlier this year was handed a BCA package worth around €70,000 annually.

As previously reported by The Shift, Felice has never effectively reported for duty at the Authority despite her appointment, continuing instead to work primarily from the minister’s offices while remaining on the BCA payroll.

The Authority also recruited lawyer Ivan Meli, another close associate of the minister, on a senior management package approaching €90,000.

Sources told The Shift that these appointments have severely damaged morale among career officials, many of whom have spent years building expertise within the Authority only to see politically connected individuals parachuted into senior positions.

The growing list of appointments has reinforced concerns that, instead of strengthening the regulator responsible for overseeing one of Malta’s most sensitive industries, the BCA is increasingly being used as a repository for political loyalists. At the same time, experienced public officers are being sidelined and demoralised.